Undetected and uncontrolled toilet leaks within building structures often result in disastrous consequences. The damages caused by such leaks can range from destroying hardwood floors and carpeting, to requiring the replacement of walls, and, in the worst case scenario, complete gutting of a structure to replace not only the building components, but also the items that were stored within the building when the leak occurred. The costs of this type of damage can range from thousands of dollars to millions of dollars.
Various devices can be found that are generally capable of detecting moisture levels that can indicate a leak is in progress. Most of those devices are installed at or near water supply points such as faucets, water heaters, washing machine connections, and toilet bowl water supply lines. Most toilet related leak detection devices focus on three primary potential leak sources. First, the water supply line that fills the toilet reservoir can leak and there are a number of earlier devices that serve this purpose and detect those leaks. Second, there are devices that detect leaks from the toilet bowl reservoir to identify any leaks between the reservoir and the toilet bowl. Finally, there are leak detection devices that examine the top of the toilet bowl upon which the toilet seat is mounted. That type of unit monitors the top edge of the toilet bowl to sense any water that runs over the edge of the toilet bowl if the toilet sewer lines are clogged for some reason and the toilet bowl overfills when the toilet reservoir attempts to refill the toilet bowl after flushing.
While the above devices are adequate for detecting those three types of toilet leaks, there is another toilet location that is also prone to leak for which there are presently no adequate leak detection devices. That overlooked location is the attachment point where the bottom of the toilet connects to the sewer line for disposal of the waste products deposited into the toilet bowl.
When the toilet is connected to those sewer lines, the toilet is normally mounted onto a toilet mounting flange or closet flange that may rest upon a matching sewer connection protruding upward from the floor of the restroom. The toilet mounting flange is usually circular and has two primary sets of mounting holes. The first set of mounting holes anchors the mounting flange to the floor of the restroom. The second set of mounting holes connects the bottom of the toilet to the upper surface of the mounting flange and usually includes at least two threaded rods that extend upward from the mounting flange for insertion of those rods through two matching mounting holes in the bottom of the toilet. Before the toilet is mounted onto the toilet mounting flange, a seal is positioned between the toilet and the toilet mounting flange. The seal is commonly a circular shaped wax seal, but can also be made of rubber or any other type of material that can properly seal the joint between the toilet and the toilet mounting flange. The seal is intended to prevent any fluids or sewer gases from passing between the toilet and the connection to the sewer lines that might be caused by either backed up sewer lines or from the waste products flushed down the toilet. Those types of leaks can be caused by problems such as deteriorated seals or by improper installation of the toilet.
For example, circular shaped wax seals normally do a good job of preventing any leakage between the toilet bowl and the toilet mounting flange. Over time, however, the wax seals can deteriorate. Seals made from rubber can also deteriorate over time and fail to keep the joint tight. In some cases, bad installation practice can also result in an incomplete sealing. In yet other cases, the toilet may be mounted in such a way that the toilet can rock back and forth as the toilet rests upon the toilet mounting flange and that rocking can damage a wax seal. Finally, the seal itself can deteriorate through hardening of the wax or can be deformed in such a way that the seal is incomplete.
Regardless of the material used for the seal, when the seal fails to do its job, fluid leakage can quickly occur between the bottom of the toilet and the toilet mounting flange. In some cases, that leakage can be very substantial and can result in a great deal of damage to the floor wherever the toilet is installed, and potentially, to floors, ceilings, and walls that are located below the restroom. Additionally, due to the location of the seal between the toilet and the toilet mounting flange, the condition of the seal is hidden from view. In many situations that can mean leaks between the toilet and the toilet mounting flange can also be hidden from view. When that occurs, substantial damage can be done to the floor of the restroom before any leak between the toilet and the toilet mounting flange is detected.
Although there are a wide range of devices that attempt to prevent leaking from the seal by improving the installation method of the toilet bowl onto the toilet mounting flange, there are no devices that can readily detect whether such leakage has occurred. It would be very useful to introduce a device that can provide some type of signal that can be used to notify users that a leak is occurring at a connection point between the device and a mounting surface so that the leak can be quickly repaired to prevent serious damage.